Method of making turned shoes.



O. C: DAVIS. METHOD OF MAKING TURNED SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, I9I6- Patented July 18, 1916.

//\/ VEN TUFQ osoan, c. DAVIS, or snowmen, MAssAoHusn'rrs.

METHOD OF MAKING TURNED SHOES.

aison.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that 3', Oscar: C. DAVIS, acitizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county ofPlymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Methods of Making Turned Shoes, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has for its objectto pro- 0 vide a'turned shoe having asole composed of a normally pliable material enabling the shoe to beeasily and conveniently turned after the sole and upper have beensecured together inside out, and to be subse uently 5 stiflened andrendered operative arti cially. The ordinary method of making turnedshoes having operatively stiff soles involves the assemblage andsecuring together by stitches or otherwise of an upper turned inside outand a leather sole which is normally or inherently stifi and is softenedand rendered flexible by moisture (the sole bemg in temper), theturningof the assembled parts while the "sole is in temper, and the subsequentrestoration of the sole to its inherently'stifi' condition byevaporation of the tempering moisture, the sole being there'- forestiffened naturally and not artificially. This method requires theemployment of a leather sole, the natural stiffening of which requires aconsiderable length of time.

'the employment of a sole of such normal or inherent flexibility thatthe assembled upper and sole may be freely turned when the sole is inits natural condition, said sole be ing either of flexible leather, orof a fibrous leather substitute such as felt, the turning of said partswhile the sole is in its natural condition, and the artificialstiffening of the sole after the turning operation, suchartificialstifi'ening requiring less time than the natural stiffening ofa leather sole.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:Figure 1 represents a transverse section showing the upper and sole of:1 turned shoe assembled and united inside out; Fig. 2 represents a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, showing the assembled sole and upper turned rightside out; Figs. 3 and 4 represent views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, thesole being reinforced by a welt strip. a The same reference charactersindicate the same or similar parts inall the views.

My invention includes a method involving Specification of LettersEatent. Pat t J ly 1 ,1915, Application filed 5.19111 1916. Serial No.e'acis.

In the drawings, 12. represents the upper and 13 the outer sole of aturned shoe. ,The

upper may beof leather orany other suitable material, and the sole is ofa material which 18 normally or inherently so flexible that the upperand sole assembled inside out and united by stitches 14 or otherwise, asshown by Fig. 1, may be freely turned right side out, as shown by Fig.2.

-The sole is provided with .a stiffening agent, which under certainconditions renders the sole suitably stiff forthe performance of itsfunction, and under other conditions is inoperative, or in other words,has no stiffening effect, so that the sole all of its inherentflexibility.

The assembled parts are turned right side POSSGSSBS out, as shown byFig. 2, while the stiffening I agent is inoperative, and the said agentis subsequently rendered operative, so that the sole is artificiallystiffened and becomes im mediately operative as a suitably stifi shoebottom. The nature of the stiffening agent depends on the material ofthe-sole.

When the sole is made of a chrome-tanned leather split, which isinherently flexible and is also porous, the stiffening agent may be acomposition containing as its essential components a solid bitumen, suas elater- 1te or mineral rubber, and a bitumen which when fusedpossesses marked penetrative powers, such as ozocerite, theseingredients being combined insuch proportions as to give the compositiona relatively low melting point, enabling it to be softened by a degreeof heat which will not be injurious to the leather, say 180 F. more orless. A flexible leather sole thus treated, in which the stiffeningagent is'softened prior to the turning operation, possesses all of itsinherent flexibility. While the sole is in its inherently flexiblecondition the assembled" and united- V sole and upper are turned rightsideout- After this operation the sole is artificially stiffened by thecooling and hardening of the stiffening agent.

VVhen'the soleis made'of a fibrous leather substitute such as felt, itmay be impregnated with a stiii'ening agent consisting of or containinga suitable hydro-carbon such as Montan wax, so called, having a meltingpoint of approximately 180 F. more or less. The stiffening agent issoftened before the turning-operation, the assembled parts are turnedright side out while the agent 1s soft and inoperative, and the sole isthen artificially stiffened by the cooling and hardening of thestiffening agent.

. v I- do not limit myself to the above specified materials for thesole,'and may employ any other suitable stiffening agent which isinoperative under certain conditions to permitthe easy turning of theassembled parts, and becomes operative under other conditions tostififen the sole. A Welt strip 16. of leather or other suitablematerial may be interposed between the upper and sole, as indicated byFigs. 3 and 4, said strip being arranged to receive the fastenings whichconnect the upper and sole, and not only reinforcing the sole, but alsoincreasing the thickness of its outer edge.

Thestifiening agent may be a composition including a metallic resinateand nitrate of cellulose, combined with camphor, or castor oil, or othermaterial capable of combining With nitrated cellulose.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. That improvement in the method of making turned shoes which consistsin assembling and securing together an upper turned inslde out and asole of normally flexible material provided with a stiffening agentadapted under certain conditions to render the sole relatively stiff,and under other conditions to become inoperative and render the soleflexible, turning the assembled parts while the stiffening agent isinoperative and the sole. flexible, and then subjecting the stifl'eningagent to conditions rendering it operative and thereby stiffening thesole. v I

2. That improvement in the method of making turned shoes which consistsin assembling and securing together an upper turned inside out and asole of normally flexible material provided with a stiffening agentadapted when cold to render the sole relatively stiff, and when heatedto become inoperative and render the sole flexible, heat ing the sole torender the stiffening agent inoperative, turning 1 the assembled partsright side out while the sole is flexible, and then cooling thestiffening agent and thereby stiffening the sole.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature.

OSCAR C. DAVIS.

